> ... and then not have any of your usual development tools, environment, system layout, or repair techniques because you're inside someone else's "works on my system" that they threw over the wall.

The thing is, the "it works" is reproducible because of containers. Which is a step above just hoping that it works.

HA is also easy to "patch". You can just install your custom components in `config/custom_components`, it can also be used to "override" core HA files.

Finally, if you are doing intrusive development, you can easily launch HA locally. macOS, Linux, and WSL are supported. You will lose the ability to install add-ons via the addon manager, but that's about it.

FWIW, I had the same aversion to their custom OS and their crazy container-based setup initially. For a couple of years, I used to run HA as a Python app and managed the dependencies manually. Then I tried the HAOS and it... kinda just worked.

> because you're inside someone else's "works on my system" that they threw over the wall.

FWIW, this can also be called stable state you can retreat to. And build upon, e.g. adding a layer of debugging tools.

I don't really like to deal with Docker, but at least I have reasonable certainty it'll work. I prefer system package manager or MSI, but if not that, it beats having to build something when it's near-guaranteed that what I'll get is not the binary the authors had in mind, if it even runs at all.

(Then again, I routinely rebuild Emacs to stay on the bleeding edge. But it took a while to work out all the usual dependency mess, and I even broke my system once doing it.)